"We wouldn't have done the 'All-Star' concept unless we were able to get the right contestants back," said Trump, the host and boardroom boss who once again will be pronouncing each contestant's fate.

The series begins shooting the new season Monday for a March 2013 premiere.

"They're all very smart, and I think they learned a lot from their last go-around," Trump told The Associated Press of the group. "This time, some of them will change their game to fool their rivals — some for better, some for worse."

The winner, as usual, will collect $250,000 to donate to his or her chosen charity.

"This year is going to be insane," Bret Michaels said Friday on NBC's "Today" show. "The competition is going to be insane. The level is going to be crazy."

With returning contestants comes renewed hostilities. Season seven stars Trace Adkins and Stephen Baldwin had several altercations during their stint on the show.

"It's been sweet and calm so far. That's kind of scary," Baldwin said on "Today." "I think we have a few zingers in us. It's going to be exciting."

Adkins sees things a bit differently.

"I hate him," he said in his trademark southern growl.

The upcoming season will be the 13th for the overall "Apprentice" franchise, a track record that amazes Trump.

"Who would have thought?" he marveled in an AP interview. "When we first signed for it, they didn't even take an option (for more seasons). No one thought it would go any further."

It did, catching on with its debut in winter 2004, as Trump introduced "You're fired" to the treasury of TV catchphrases.

Since then, he said, it's been lucrative and fun.

"My business is real estate, but the show has been an amazing experience," he said, "good in every way."

It's also been, in some fashion, a learning experience.

The main thing he's learned? "You can never predict," he replied. "I'll see a contestant come out, and you would say they're going to win, on the first day. And then they're the first one fired."

But there's been one other thing he's discovered: the impact of his exposure on TV.

"I was very well-known before the show," he said, "but, frankly, I used to be able to walk outside. I can't even walk outside now! Overall I think the show's great, but there are times when you'd like to have a little bit of privacy."

Then Trump laughed at a reporter's facetious suggestion that he consider donning a disguise.

"I could put on a real wig," Trump joked. "A lot of people say, 'He wears a wig.' I don't. But maybe I should wear one: a big black sucker!"